Opinion
No. 2020-251 K C
08-19-2022
Island Life Chiropractic Pain Care, PLLC, as Assignee of Vernizier, Jean Willy, Respondent, v. American Independent Ins. Co., Omni Indemnity Company, American Independent Insurance Companies, Inc. and Good2Go Auto Insurance, Appellants.
Freiberg, Peck & Kang, LLP (Yilo J. Kang of counsel), for appellant. The Rybak Firm, PLLC (Oleg Rybak, Esq.), for respondent (no brief filed).
Unpublished Opinion
Freiberg, Peck & Kang, LLP (Yilo J. Kang of counsel), for appellant.
The Rybak Firm, PLLC (Oleg Rybak, Esq.), for respondent (no brief filed).
PRESENT: THOMAS P. ALIOTTA, P.J., WAVNY TOUSSAINT, DONNA-MARIE E. GOLIA, JJ
Appeal from an order of the Civil Court of the City of New York, Kings County (Consuelo Mallafre Melendez, J.), entered November 4, 2019. The order insofar as appealed from, denied the branches of defendants' joint motion seeking to dismiss so much of the complaint as was asserted against American Independent Ins. Co., American Independent Insurance Companies, Inc., and Good2Go Auto Insurance, respectively.
ORDERED that so much of the appeal as is by Omni Indemnity Company is dismissed, as Omni Indemnity Company is not aggrieved by the order, insofar as appealed from (see CPLR 5511; Rinaldi v Evenflo Co., Inc., 62 A.D.3d 856 [2009]); and it is further, ORDERED that the order, insofar as appealed from, is modified by providing that the branches of the motion seeking to dismiss so much of the complaint as was asserted against American Independent Ins. Co. and American Independent Insurance Companies, Inc., respectively, are granted; as so modified, the order, insofar as appealed from, is affirmed, without costs.
In this action by a provider to recover assigned first-party no-fault benefits, defendants appeal from so much of an order as denied the branches of defendants' joint motion seeking to dismiss so much of the complaint as was asserted against defendants American Independent Ins. Co., American Independent Insurance Companies, Inc., and Good2Go Auto Insurance, respectively.
Defendants based their motion on CPLR 3211 (a) (8). In multiple affidavits in support of the motion, defendant American Independent Ins. Co.'s employees asserted that defendant is a Pennsylvania company, which is not licensed to do business in New York, maintains no offices in New York, has no agents operating out of, or representatives soliciting business in, New York, and does not own, use or possess any real property in New York. Furthermore, defendant American Independent Ins. Co. argued that it had been held in prior cases that the courts in the State of New York cannot exercise personal jurisdiction over it (see e.g. Matter of Eagle Ins. Co. v Gutierrez-Guzman, 21 A.D.3d 489 [2005]). Plaintiff cross-moved for summary judgment and opposed the motion with an "affirmation" by its counsel, who made unsupported assertions that, among other things, defendant American Independent Ins. Co. had transacted business in New York by knowingly issuing policies to New York drivers, and that American Independent Ins. Co. had established an ongoing relationship with defense counsel in New York, thereby subjecting American Independent Ins. Co. to jurisdiction in New York. For the reasons stated in Excel Prods., Inc. v American Ind. Ins. Co. (65 Misc.3d 157 [A], 2019 NY Slip Op 51964[U] [App Term, 2d Dept, 2d, 11th & 13th Jud Dists 2019]), the branch of the motion by defendant American Independent Ins. Co. seeking to dismiss the complaint insofar as asserted against it should have been granted. In addition, because the "affirmation" submitted by plaintiff's counsel is unsigned, the affirmation is of no probative value (see WJJ Acupuncture, P.C. v Liberty Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 26 Misc.3d 135 [A], 2010 NY Slip Op 50146[U] [App Term, 2d Dept, 2d, 11th & 13th Jud Dists 2010]) and plaintiff failed to satisfy its burden of making a prima facie showing that there was personal jurisdiction over American Independent Ins. Co. (see Hopstein v Cohen, 143 A.D.3d 859 [2016]).
Similarly, after defendant American Independent Insurance Companies, Inc. contested jurisdiction, "plaintiff need[ed] only make a prima facie showing that such jurisdiction exists" (Hopstein, 143 A.D.3d at 860 [internal quotation marks omitted]; see also Lang v Wycoff Hgts. Med. Ctr., 55 A.D.3d 793 [2008]). In the instant case, the only proof that service of process was made upon American Independent Insurance Companies, Inc. consisted of affidavits of service stating that service was made upon defendant Good2Go Auto Insurance. Consequently, the branch of the motion by defendant American Independent Insurance Companies, Inc. seeking to dismiss the complaint insofar as asserted against it should have been granted.
To the extent defendant Good2Go Auto Insurance moved to dismiss the complaint insofar as asserted against it, plaintiff's opposition papers contained copies of affidavits of service reflecting that service was made upon Good2Go Auto Insurance. In its reply papers, Good2Go Auto Insurance made no attempt to demonstrate that the person served was not "an officer, director, managing or general agent, or cashier or assistant cashier or to any other agent authorized by appointment or by law to receive service" (CPLR 311 [1]). As a result, Good2Go Auto Insurance failed to demonstrate a basis to disturb so much of the order as denied the branch of the motion by defendant Good2Go Auto Insurance seeking to dismiss the complaint insofar as asserted against it.
Accordingly, the order, insofar as appealed from, is modified by providing that the branches of the motion seeking to dismiss so much of the complaint as was asserted against American Independent Ins. Co. and American Independent Insurance Companies, Inc., respectively, are granted.
ALIOTTA, P.J., TOUSSAINT and GOLIA, JJ., concur.